One of the great obsessions that has haunted Pep Guardiola since he arrived at Manchester City was none other than improving defense. There was no summer in which the Catalan coach did not invest a significant sum of money to make the qualitative leap he needed. It was in the summer of 2016 when Santpedor took the reins of the skyblues. Since then, almost 500 “kilos” have been disbursed. Laporte, Cancelo, Mendy, Stones, Walker, Aké …A long list with which, little by little, he alleviated the deficits behind.
Paradoxically, the most expensive of them was the last to arrive: Rúben Dias, from Benfica for 68 million euros in the last summer market. An investment that was once again the center of attention in European football. So much so that even a voice like Jamie Carragher, a former Liverpool and England footballer, assured that if the signing of the Portuguese did not bear fruit, it would be a failure for the Catalan coach. “If Rúben Dias doesn't work, it's the end of Guardiola at City”.
Now seven months later Rúben Dias has become one of the best center-backs in Europe. So much so that the last performances of the Portuguese central defender have been against tall rivals, whom he has completely dried up. Erling haaland first with Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League quarter-finals; Harry kane later in the final of the Carabao Cup; and finally to Kylian Mbappé in the semifinals of the maximum continental competition (in the absence of the return). All of them were left unmarked against Manchester City and, above all, without appearing.
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Infographics via SofaScore.
It is no coincidence that the figure of Mbappé diluted like a sugar with the passing of the minutes. The French PSG footballer was unprecedented throughout the first leg. He even registered fewer ball touches (30) than Ederson (31), City goalkeeper. Much of the blame was on the English defensive network, which improved substantially in the second half. In that facet The figure of Rúben Dias was key, who, as against Haaland and Kane, kept extreme vigilance to get him out of the game. His numbers, on the other hand, were nothing to write home about, although they were necessary to set a remarkable performance: 95% of success in the pass (fundamental for a Pep team), four duels won, two interceptions and two clearances.
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Therefore, It is not for less that he has become Guardiola's “right eye” at Manchester City. “We are surprised by his body and mental capacity. We have signed an amazing player for the next five, six, seven years”, Assured the coach of the skyblues at the beginning of the year. A bet that, in the end, is more than successful. In addition, he has also been his compatriot Pepe, the veteran Porto defender and former Real Madrid defender, who placed him the poster of the best center-back of the moment. “He became a top center back. Currently, there is no one better than him, I told him. He is showing it ”.
A central of the “Guardiola school”
The signing of Rúben Dias, therefore, could be considered almost as the jewel in the crown of the defense. After so many attempts, the Portuguese was able to put an end to Guardiola's headache. Yes indeed, if he stands out for his good defensive side, we must also review his good game with his feet. A fact that reflects this is that it is the European player with the best rate of successful passes (2,255 of his 2,380 attempted). He appears on the list ahead of other figures such as those of Hummels, Robertson, De Jong or his own teammate, the Spanish international Rodri.
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